A prize of $10,000 Canadian (approximately $6,960) is awarded for a debut poetry collection by a living Canadian poet or permanent resident. The winner is also offered a six-...
read moreWriting Contests, Grants & Awards
The Writing Contests, Grants & Awards database includes details about the creative writing contests—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, and more—that we’ve published in Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it. Ours is the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Cash Prize: $6,960
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/20/25
Genre: Poetry
Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Cash Prize: $90,479
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/20/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $130,000 Canadian (approximately $90,479) is given annually for a poetry collection written in or translated into English by a living poet or translator from...
read moreArtist Trust
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/23/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Grants of $1,500 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers who are residents of Washington State. Students enrolled in a degree-granting program...
read moreAutumn House Press
Cash Prize: $2,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Autumn House Press is given annually for a poetry collection. The winner also receives a $1,500 travel and publicity grant. Matthew Olzmann...
read morePoetry London
Cash Prize: $6,482
Entry Fee: $13
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A first-place prize of £5,000 (approximately $6,482), a second-place prize of £2,000 (approximately $2,593), and a third-place prize of £1,000 (approximately $1,296) are given...
read moreUniversity of North Texas Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by University of North Texas Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Using only the online submission system, submit a...
read moreBarrow Street Press
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Barrow Street Press is given annually for a poetry collection. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 50 to 80...
read moreThe Moth
Cash Prize: $3,267
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for an essay or a work of nonfiction in hybrid form. Using only the online submission...
read moreLascaux Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and online publication in Lascaux Review is given annually for a work of flash fiction. Previously published or unpublished stories are eligible. Using...
read moreUniversity of Pittsburgh Press
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $15,000 and publication by University of Pittsburgh Press is given annually for a collection of short fiction. Writers who have published at least one previous book...
read moreKinsman Quarterly
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Kinsman Quarterly is given annually for a group of poems, a short story, or an essay on a theme related to African culture or...
read moreAnthology Magazine
Cash Prize: $1,089
Entry Fee: $16
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of €1,000 (approximately $1,089) and publication in Anthology Magazine is given annually for a single poem. Rachael Hegarty will judge. Using only the online...
read moreBauhan Publishing
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Bauhan Publishing, and 50 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. Anthony Walton will judge. Using only the online submission...
read moreCider Press Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $27
Application Deadline: 6/30/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by Cider Press Review, and 25 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection. The editors will judge. Using only the online...
read moreNuclear Age Peace Foundation
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 7/1/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation website is given annually for a single poem that explores “positive visions of peace and the human spirit...
read moreBellevue Literary Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $20
Application Deadline: 7/1/25
Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Three prizes of $1,000 each and publication in Bellevue Literary Review are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay about health, healing, illness, the...
read moreThe Story Prize
Cash Prize: $20,000
Entry Fee: $75
Application Deadline: 7/1/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a story or novella collection written in English and published in the United States in the current year. Two runners-up receive $5,000...
read moreVine Leaves Press
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 7/1/25
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication by Vine Leaves Press will be given for a book of nonfiction, including biography, memoir, and hybrid work. Using only the online submission...
read moreConduit Books & Ephemera
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 7/7/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,500, publication by Conduit Books & Ephemera, and 15 author copies is given annually for a debut poetry collection. Bob Hicok will judge. Submit a manuscript...
read moreStony Brook Southampton
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $0
Application Deadline: 7/14/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 is given annually for a short story by a current undergraduate college student. The winner also receives a full scholarship to attend the Southampton Writers...
read moreThe Word Works
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $25
Application Deadline: 7/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000, publication by the Word Works, and 30 author copies is given annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published at least two full-length books of...
read moreComstock Review
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 7/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $1,000 and publication in Comstock Review is given annually for a single poem. Carolyne Wright will judge. Submit up to five poems of no more than 60 lines...
read moreRattle
Cash Prize: $15,000
Entry Fee: $30
Application Deadline: 7/15/25
Genre: Poetry
A prize of $15,000 and publication in Rattle is given annually for a single poem. A Readers’ Choice Award of $5,000 and publication is also given to one of ten finalists...
read moreGhost Story
Cash Prize: $1,000
Entry Fee: $15
Application Deadline: 7/15/25
Genre: Fiction
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Ghost Story website is given biannually for a work of flash fiction with a supernatural or magical realist theme. The editors...
read moreWashington Writers’ Publishing House
Cash Prize: $1,500
Entry Fee: $28
Application Deadline: 7/15/25
Three prizes of $1,500 each, publication by Washington Writers’ Publishing House, and 25 author copies are given annually for a poetry collection, a short story collection or...
read more